Well, I managed to survive my first week back at work. Thank you to everyone who wished me well and offered a prayer. I really appreciate it. Making my transition a little easier was my pleasant surprise at the windowed office with a nice view. Yea trees and grass!

The drive is pretty substantial and it’s a good thing I drive a hybrid because otherwise a big chunk of my paycheck would go just for gas! The longish drive gives me the opportunity to listen to audiobooks again. This something I did years ago and really enjoy because it’s a great way to multitask. (I get my books either from the library or from www.audible.com) Right now I am reading Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. It’s one of those classic novels that I somehow managed to NOT read during school years. There’s a movie coming out in November so I figure now is the time to do it. Hopefully, the 38 hours (yes, 38 hours!) of audio will make my commute more tolerable.

One of the things I have noticed about being back at work is how awkward it feels to sit for most of the day. I SIT in my car then SIT at my desk for hours then walk to lunch or to a printer occasionally but mostly….I SIT. For the last two plus years I have been active from sun up to sundown. Aside from sitting here at my computer writing or editing photos, I am almost always standing or walking. So this is going to take some getting used to. Hmm. Maybe a standup desk is in order….

Here’s a shot of my feet from Saturday morning. It felt so wonderful to get back into my Lululemon leggings and Vibrams after a week of high heels and business suits. Aaah, heavenly comfort on a frosty morning.

After this photo was taken I popped down to the local farmer’s market and found a few lovely ingredients for paleo breakfast. The following recipe for basic paleo egg muffins comes from those ingredients and my need to make breakfast fast and easy now that I’m more pressed for time. It’s one of those recipes that has the potential to get really fancy with the addition of various spices and veggies. I’m keeping it simple because this is the way my kids seem to like it best.

You can make these egg muffins ahead of time then reheat in the morning for a quick meal at home or on the go. All you need is a pound of (ideally organic pasture-raised) pork breakfast sausage and a dozen eggs. With just those ingredients and a little oil, salt and pepper you’ve got breakfast – double it and you have enough for a few days.

If you want to get a little fancier you can add some fresh herbs and/or veggies. G and I love basil and fresh tomatoes so we commandeered half of our second batch.

Tomato and Basil Paleo Egg Muffins

Just finely slice (chiffonade) leaves of fresh basil (about 1/2 teaspoon per muffin) and cut one or two grape/cherry tomatoes in half and place on top of the paleo egg muffin mixture prior to placing in the oven.

Here’s the finished product.

G’s actual quote was, “these are about a 1,000 times better than I thought they would be!” Interesting. I’m not sure why he thought sausage and eggs wouldn’t be awesome but I’ll take the compliment. He was very excited about these egg muffins and the boys loved the basic ones too. I live in a house full of guys and this recipe does seem to be bona fide “guy food”.

I haven’t tried freezing these yet. But I’m guessing that would be an option. Leave me a comment and let me know if you make egg muffins for a busy week and what veggies and spices you use to change it up.

Did you make this recipe?

*this post contains affiliate links – the intention is to direct you to products I use on a regular basis for your information. Many of the products can be found in your local area but not all will be easy to find in all places. I only recommend products I believe in and use on a regular basis. If you decide to purchase a product via the Amazon link I will receive a small commission but it does not increase the price you pay. Thanks for your support!

I made them this morning and they’re delicious! Thank you. I used ground beef and added Southwest seasoning from Penzeys Spices. I also added garlic to the eggs.
It’s so easy, high in protein, portable, and tasty. Thank you for a great recipe. I’m looking forward to trying different combinations!

Looks yummy. I had made another version several weeks back but gave up because they kept sticking to the muffin pan, and the time savings in food prep disappeared because of the time it took to clean the pan. How did you manage to get them to slide out of the pan easily? Did you use coconut oil?

Julie,
I melted a little ghee and used a silicon brush to oil the cups. I used a knife to go around the edges after about 5 minutes of cooling. I was afraid they would stick and that would be a pain but they didn’t. Of course the sausage is fairly fatty so maybe that helped matters.
Lea

I did the same thing with a silicone baking brush, but used grape seed oil instead, staying non-dairy and almost entirely flavorless. Also, my pan is a Calphalon nonstick. I didn’t even use a knife, mine came right out!

I make a lot of these types of dishes, though usually in a big tray then cut into slices. I love grated zucchini (courgette).. use a couple of little ones so you get lots of the green skin but very little of the watery white flesh in the middle. Cheese of course is also a natural thing to add to these.. either spread through the mixture or just a little sprinkled on top. I’m a bit fan of onions too so I would throw these in, though they need to be cooked first… white or red (which turns purple if you want some colour). Bacon is the other obvious and yummy choice! =)

My husband and I made them last night, using 1/4 of a big Costco package of sausage (but that was a lot of sausage to de-case!) We threw in a diced yellow bell pepper, a big handful of some leeks we had leftover (in lieu of some onions), and a big handful of diced mushrooms. Sauteed it all together, and it made enough for 24 muffins! We took half of the mixture and froze it for a future batch. Just wanted to share that the big 4-pack of Costco breakfast sausages is a great way to make a lot of these guys!

This may be a silly question, but I am still new to the paleo lifestyle and not the greatest of cooks just yet. Just curious if you make a big batch do you just put in the fridge and warm up when ready to use? If you do warm them up…do you microwave or oven?

My other question, if you freeze the mixture, do you freeze individually and then pull them out to bake them? Or freeze in a big sheet?

Hi Amanda,
Those aren’t silly questions. When I make a batch I usually just refrigerate them but I hear they freeze well too. We typically just wrap in a paper towel and heat in the microwave but I know many people don’t like to use microwaves. If that’s the case for you then you could use the oven – I’m not sure how much time it would take though. Freezing the mixture might be a bit tougher. I definitely would not freeze it IN the baking pan. You might end up having them just stick to the pan that way. I suppose you could freeze the eggs and sausage but you would just have to make sure it defrosted in the fridge before cooking. I’m not sure that makes it easier though. Good luck. I hope that helps a bit.

My family LOVES these. We’ve been making all sorts of variations for some time now. I have made upwards of 80 muffins at one time, then we portion them out and freeze them.

To freeze, let them cool completely, then put them into freezer containers. To use, microwave for 30-120 seconds (depending on what all is in it – egg only takes about 30 seconds, the more onions, cheese, veggies, you use the longer it takes.) I prefer using a Toaster oven, so I don’t have to fire up the whole oven for just a few. No matter what you use to heat them back up, I have learned it’s better to over heat and let them cool back down rather than bite into it and find an ice cube in the center! 🙂

These do taste pretty eggy. If you really don’t like eggs it might not be the best thing for you to try. On the other hand, it has a pretty strong sausage flavor too so it’s less eggy that standard scrambled eggs. It’s hard for me to know what you would like but this is definitely a strongly egg-flavored recipe.

Thanks for the reply! I went ahead and tried this anyway, with what I had available. I used ground beef instead of sausage and added onions and grated sweet potato just for the heck of it. They weren’t too eggy, but next time I think I’ll use sausage to give it more flavor. I’m new to this paleo thing. Thanks a lot for the recipe. 🙂

I’ve made something similar before but then completely forgot about them. Thought they were more complicated so Googled just to check and arrived here. I’m looking forward to reading your blog, but for now I’m just reminding myself of the simplicity of paleo eating, thank you. Today, I’m making mine with free-ranged, bacon, salted, but nothing else added, from the farm of a friend, and a sprinkle of black pepper plus a cherry tomato and cheese version for my vegetarian ‘paleo’ offspring.

Just found your blog looking for an egg-muffin-type recipe. Made these today with sausage, chard, and (of all things) pomegranate seeds. YUM. There was a tiny bit of pink stain on one muffin, but most seeds came through intact, still bursting with juice. I know it sounds crazy, but the sweet, juicy/crunchy seeds are wonderful with the savory sausage and texture of the chard. Not sure if heating them nixes out some nutrition, but I’m liking it. Thanks for the ideas!

Stumbled access this recipe, as my husband and I are new to paleo! (one week and I am down eight pounds!) Well batch one is in the oven still but they look and smell fabulous. I used coconut oil, sel gris, paprika, and yummy pork sausage. Excited to explore the options for two busy individuals! Thanks for posting, God Bless and I’m looking forward to seeing the rest of your posts!

Why would you do that? The yolks are the most nutritious part of the egg– the whites do not have much nutritional value by themselves, just a lot of sodium. Discarding the proteins, amino acids, and dozens of other nutrients found in the yolks has absolutely no benefit– for anyone. Eat those yolks! They’re so yummy, and from a nutritional standpoint, practically a miracle food!

I make them with just egg whites. I’m allergic to the yolk. Sad – I LOVE yolks. But they work great with just the whites. My problem (beside not being able to eat yolks…) is that mine always stick. 🙁 I resorted to using liners after throwing away a muffin tin… But might try again with more oil around the edges.

Yeah, Kimberly, sticking is definitely a problem. I think the reason this particular recipe does not tend to stick is mainly because there is so much sausage. I tried making it once with half the sausage and almost ended up throwing away a muffin tin too. Sticking would be a problem especially if you are using egg whites just because that’s even less fat content. Good to know the muffin liners work pretty well.

Liners work ok. At least I haven’t thrown any more tins away. I forgot to mention taking off the liners as soon as they are cool enough. If you freeze them with the liners, it’s harder and messy to get off and they are all soggy.

I make them with frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry, green onions (scallions) and chopped red bell pepper. Sometimes I’ll add a bit of feta cheese. Been making them for about 8 years now, since I found the recipe on South Beach Diet site.

I have frozen egg muffins many times. They reheat nicely if thawed first. Note: freezing them does change the egg texture a bit. They are a bit less fluffy after being frozen. But they still taste great. And they are quite yummy with feta as another person suggested. Thanks for a great discussion and so many fantastic ideas!

These look delicious and I expect they’re good cold for taking with you.
I made some tomato & courgette (zucchini in American English) muffins yesterday and I can confirm that they were NOT nice cold this morning – waaaay too watery. Less veg, more egg next time.

I made mine using a silicone cupcake mould, these negating the need for oil of any kind – they just pop out easy peasy.
As for storage, it’s flipping freezing in the UK right now so I just left mine on the side to cool down overnight, covered with a tea towel.
To reheat, pop them in oven or the microwave, however the microwave is likely to make them soggy… so experiment! That’s what cooking is about after all. If they’re disgusting just feed to your dog, they’ll love them! 🙂

First I must say I’m new to Paleo and find your website inspirational. I made the egg muffins last night and they were a big hit. It was nice to have something quick to take to work this morning. I can’t decide what to try next your pork loin or garlic chicken.

I just made these, added some finly chopped, veggies (brocolli, spinach, onions and zuchinni). Made my own sausage too! I am not a big egg fan but love these… two muffins and I am full and ready to take on the day!

I’ve made egg muffins before and loved them, but can’t seem to find my recipe, so I landed here. Yours look great and much simpler than the recipe I had.

I find these little muffins are great to take camping. Hubby and I get up early with a cup of coffee and read for a while. A bit later I pop 4 into a steamer basket (over a pot of boiling water) and let them heat for about 5 minutes. Along with some fruit and nuts they make a delicious, hearty, and satisfying meal without much bother or dishes to clean. Win-win!

My wife and I are coming up on our first month of Paleo this Sunday! Woo hoo! She lost 10lbs in the first 3 weeks and I have always been between 180-190 my adult life. At 47, I am at 172 and my energy level is through the roof! My wife is losing the tummy from having babies that she has been trying to get rid of for years!
Since my wife and kids are out of town, I am up for breakfast for our Sunday morning Bible Study group of about 40 people. I googled Paleo breakfast ideas and landed here. I love all the details you give in your blog and the pictures to boot. I will try these for tomorrow and maybe throw in a little avocado because I love avocado :). Looking forward to looking around on here for many more ideas. Thanks!!

I have made three batches of these. The first batch was odd looking because there was so much sausage I thought it must be in have to make 24 muffins. I then realized that was not the case so I ended up cramming more sausage into sausage and egg filled tins. I took them out of the pan as soon as I pulled them from the oven. They looked strange but tasted good. My second batch, I left them to cool for five minutes as advised and they were crispy around the edges. my third batch I removed immediately but they were still crispy around the sides and tops. How do I fix it??

Hmmm. That’s a tough question, Amanda. I’ve never tried making something like this in a microwave. My instincts tell me it probably wouldn’t turn out great because microwaves tend to make eggs rubbery. 🙁

I haven’t actually started yet though I am trying to slooowly wean us off of processed foods. When I complained to my co-workers that breakfast was going to be difficult, they told me of cooking eggs in the microwave.
Crack the eggs into a coffee cup, whisk them and add whatever you want to include, and microwave them for about a minute. My microwave does them best if I first do 45 seconds, then stir, and do another 45 seconds.
They turn out fine, not rubbery at all. However, they do not re-heat well.

Just made these for my daughter’s homeroom. I used sausage and added some cayenne pepper and nutmeg (in addition to the salt and pepper). I cut up some basil for the top and baked. They looked GREAT! Can’t wait to hear the verdict from a group of eighth graders!

I am brand new to the Paleo diet and to your site, which is great by the way. I’d been on a diet similar to this one for the past three months and think the transition to Paleo will work well for me. I think it will solve most of my sensitivity / intolerance issues.

I’ve heard that ham is okay on the Paleo diet. Is that true? If so have you tried these egg muffins with ham? I want to make some tomorrow for my son’s breakfast and to get his week off to the right start. Looking forward to more from this site and for the results.

Hi Kimberley,
Some people are really sensitive to nitrates/nitrites that cure ham. But for the most part I think it is fine unless you have reason to believe your son would not tolerate ham. I haven’t tried these egg muffins with ham. The fat from the sausage is pretty important for ensuring they don’t stick to the muffin tin. One time I made them with half the sausage and they did stick. So if you replace the sausage with ham just make sure you grease the tins really well and/or add a bit more fat to the mixture.
Good luck!

I tried your Basic Paleo Egg Muffins. They are delicious and so convenient. I love the idea and have made several different flavor variations, all of them great. Did you know they make great road trip food? So much so, I featured a link to this recipe from my blog post, “Get Breakfast! 10 Homemade Road Trip Breakfasts that Really Work!” http://goo.gl/TW0oDx. I look forward to trying more of your recipes. Thank you so much for this one!

Mine stuck…badly. And hubby nearly through out the pan, although he loved them, especially the portability. I read that foil muffin cups were a good idea, so just picked some up and am going to give it a whirl.
I put some fennel seeds in mine, along with some paprika. Very nice.

Just to clarify…you said to scramble the eggs BEFORE you put them in the tins to bake? Will the eggs stick together if they’ve already been scrambled prior to baking?
The tomato ones look like the egg is still raw in the tin before you cooked it, but it doesn’t look scrambled, which is why I asked 🙂

Hi,
Just to clarify, you “scramble” the eggs first, as in whisk them. I don’t mean you actually cook them before they go in the tins. Sorry for the confusion. They go in the pans whisked, as opposed to whole. I did not consider the word scramble to imply scrambled and cooked. But I see how that might be confusing. Good luck.

Just a tip: if you take a paper towel and dip it into solid coconut oil and rub the oil in the muffin wells with the paper towel, my muffins did not stick it all. Plucked them right out with my fingers.

Lea, thanks for the help! I had seen a co-worker with two of these in paper muffin liners yesterday morning and instantly wanted one! I asked her, “What is that?” to which she replied, “Eggs, sausage and Pico!” Well, my super sweet husband made me a batch of fresh pico de gallo, and I mixed up a batch that is cooking as I type! Yum, I cannot wait until morning! Thanks again for the info on the how to…. I am happy I am saving the calories of the oil, using paper liners, as well! Loved the website, too!

Hi Betsy,
I hope your egg muffins turned out well. I just tried this recipe yesterday with a silicon baking pan. It was amazing! I’m putting together a post that will go up in a day or two about the product and the company has agreed to do a giveaway. Keep an eye peeled for it. I will have photos of the egg muffins and how easily they come out of the silicone.
Best, Lea

I just found your recipe today and tried it. I used the sausage, with avocado and tomato with some garlic in there. It’s amazing. Thank you so much for the idea! Breakfast is always a chore for me, so this will definitely help!!

I plan to make these tomorrow, but have a question. The recipe doesn’t say anything about using a mini muffin pan, but the pictures look like mini muffins. Do I use a full size or mini sized muffin tin? Thanks!

Hi, I got excited about the recipe and made them in a muffin maker today. They looked nice and tall, but as I started taking them out they have immediately deflated and became flat. Is that expected?
They were golden and cooked through..
Can it be a muffin maker issue? How can I prevent muffins from deflating?

I make these for a quick breakfast alternative. I use shredded carrots and chopped zucchini, bell peppers, onions and mushrooms topped with mozzarella cheese. For the tins I use the organize olive oil and they haven’t stuck yet.

Beatrix,
It depends on a few factors. I find with different pastured-raised eggs, especially in spring and summer, the yolks are very vibrant. If the eggs are more conventionally raised the yolks are usually lighter in color. It’s also the lighting and the photo and your computer screen. I hope that helps. I’m glad you like the muffins.
Regards,
Lea